南方浸信会主席兼牧师威利·赖斯呼吁全国各地的牧师们在中期选举临近之际“积极投身”政治进程。尽管一些基督教领袖劝诫牧师们不要在讲坛上涉足政治，但赖斯认为，长期以来牧师们一直在美国政治中发挥着重要作用。他指出，神学与政治上的左派人士毫不避讳将宗教与政治相结合，福音派教徒同样也应如此。
Southern Baptist Convention President and Pastor Willy Rice called on pastors across the country to "step up" into the political process as midterm elections near. While some Christian leaders advise against wading into politics from the pulpit, Rice argues pastors have long played a key role in American politics. Members of the theological and political left have shown no hesitance to mix religion with their politics and evangelicals should not either, he says.
底特律的一位牧师称，进步派候选人试图向基督教选民“展示道德姿态”“牧师们是否应当参与政治进程？他们绝对应该。因为许多政治议题本质上都是神学与道德议题，它们触及了我们所坚信的真理，也关系到个人及整个社会能否繁荣发展。”
DETROIT PASTOR SAYS PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATES ARE TRYING TO 'VIRTUE-SIGNAL' TO CHRISTIAN VOTERS "Should pastors engage in the political process? They absolutely should. Because there are many political issues that are, at their heart, theological issues and moral issues that strike at the very center of what we believe to be true and what we believe people need to know in order to flourish personally and as a culture."
“我认为牧师们需要挺身而出。纵观美国历史，在诸多关键政治时刻，牧师们始终发出过强有力的声音，”赖斯说道。
"I think the pastors need to step up. I think throughout American history, pastors have had a strong voice at key moments in American political history," Rice said.
“耶稣是个激进分子”：进步派借基督之名在竞选活动中宣扬左翼主张赖斯遗憾地指出，近几十年来，无论是外部还是内部因素都促使许多基督徒“保持沉默”“远离政治进程”。
'JESUS WAS A RADICAL': PROGRESSIVES INVOKE CHRIST TO SELL LEFT-WING AGENDA ON CAMPAIGN TRAIL Rice lamented that many Christians have been encouraged in recent decades, from both external and internal forces, to "be more quiet" and "withdraw from the political process."
“有趣的是，那些神学与政治上的左派人士并未选择退出，也无意这么做。事实上，统计数据表明，政治与神学上的左派人士的政治参与度实际上要高于右派人士，”赖斯说道。
"Now, the interesting thing is that those on the theological and political left did not [withdraw], and they had no intention of doing so. And in fact, statistics show that people on the political and theological left are actually more politically engaged than those on the right," Rice said.
“可以说，有一段时间出现了一种近乎‘真空’的状态——没有基督教领袖站出来发声，整个环境一片沉寂。” 随着一份报告显示联邦层面的反堕胎宣传能极大助力共和党候选人，一个支持生命权的团体正加大在北卡罗来纳州的竞选力度。赖斯指出，堕胎、婚姻的定义、性别认同以及移民问题都是基督徒理应基于信仰立场来投票的关键议题。
"So what you had was, for a period of time, I felt like you had an almost a vacuum that kind of developed, a silence that was there with a lack of Christian leaders leaning in." PRO-LIFE GROUP RAMPS UP NC GROUND GAME AS REPORT FINDS FED ABORTION MESSAGE GIVES GOP CANDIDATE BIGGEST BOOST Rice highlighted abortion, the definition of marriage, gender identity and immigration as issues where Christians should feel compelled to vote in a certain way. "These issues are deeply, profoundly theological issues. They go back to the creation; they go back to Genesis 1 and 2.
“这些议题具有极其深刻的神学意义。它们可追溯到创世记第一章与第二章，关乎我们对‘人’的定义，也关乎上帝创造人类的初衷。” 拜登政府迫使美国民众在移民问题上面临虚假的两难选择。赖斯还提到，在移民问题上，基督徒也常遭遇一些“带有操纵意图”的论调。他承认该议题对基督徒而言确实是个“挑战”，但也强调严格执行美国法律并无不妥。
They go back to our understanding of what it means to be a human being, and our understanding of what God's creative purpose is for us as human beings," he said. BIDEN ADMINISTRATION FORCED A FALSE CHOICE ON AMERICANS ABOUT IMMIGRATION Rice argued that Christians also face "manipulative" arguments when it comes to immigration. He admits that the immigration issue does present a "challenge" for Christians but argues there is nothing wrong with enforcing America's laws.
“同情心固然可贵，帮助那些贫穷受压迫的弱势群体也值得提倡，事实上美国基督徒所做的慈善工作比任何其他群体都要多，”赖斯说道。联邦上诉法院将特朗普时期的移民拘留政策与二战期间日裔美国人被强制收容事件相提并论。“然而法治同样至关重要，它也是保护本国民众安全的保障。遗憾的是，某些掌权者常常利用这一点来操纵基督徒：他们声称既然基督徒讲究同情心，就理应支持无限制的移民政策，或不应坚持执行移民法规。”
"There is a value of compassion, a value of wanting to care for the least of these people who are poor and oppressed and wanting to help," Rice said, noting that Christians do more of that charity than any other group in the U.S. FEDERAL APPEALS COURT COMPARES TRUMP MIGRANT DETENTION POLICY TO JAPANESE AMERICAN INTERNMENT "But there is also the importance of the rule of law," he continued. "The protection of people who are in this country. And what you've had is sometimes a very cynical use by some people in power of trying to manipulate Christians by saying, since you must demonstrate compassion, therefore you must embrace open immigration, or you must not insist on the enforcement of the the immigration laws." .
赖斯补充道：“但绝没有人会认为，因为关爱他人，就可以任由家门敞开不锁，或者随意打开社区里的牢房门吧。”
No one would say that because you love people or care for people, you should leave the doors of your house unlocked, or you should open up the jail cells in your own community," he said.